As Copa America and the EUROS conclude, the sports world now turns its attention to Paris for the Olympic Games. Embracing the Olympic spirit, several galleries across the French capital are hosting special exhibitions. Among them is Almine Rech, which is presenting a compelling showcase titled “Sport and Beyond” at its rue de Turenne flagship.
Jeff Koons’ New Gazing Balls Series
“Sport and Beyond” features new and existing works by renowned American artists Jeff Koons, Laurie Simmons, and Hank Willis Thomas. Jeff Koons, famed for his shiny balloon sculptures, introduces a new piece in his Gazing Balls series. This latest work features a reclining male nude adorned with 11 chromatic orbs, inspired by the Borghese Gladiator sculpture in the Louvre. Koons artfully merges past and present, using manufactured artifacts that reflect both antiquity and contemporary viewers.
Laurie Simmons’ AI-Enhanced Swimming Ballet
Laurie Simmons revisits her earlier series of swimming ballet dancers, this time incorporating text-based AI prompts through DALL-E and Stable Diffusion. Her new works blend reality with fantasy, as seen in a piece depicting swimmers with floral caps, which Simmons “corrects” with hand-appliqué additions.
Hank Willis Thomas’ Exploration of Sports and Identity
Hank Willis Thomas uses his multidisciplinary approach to explore themes of consumerism, community, and identity through sports. His work, Endless Column III (2017), features nine stacked soccer balls painted in a chameleon hue that shifts with the viewer’s movement. Art critic Charles Barachon describes it as highlighting “the collective and combative spirit of sport, athletic heroism and victory, as well as the aesthetic and social issues that pop culture brings.”
Sport and Beyond at the Paris Olympics
“Sport and Beyond” will be on view in Paris until August 17, while the 2024 Paris Olympic Games will run from July 26 to August 11, 2024. Be sure to catch this intersection of art and athletics in the heart of Paris.
